


One Day inside Abstergo (or how the Inner Sanctum improves fuck-ups while Haytham Kenway is not watching)

by SebastianDragon



Series: The Other Side [2]
Category: Assassin's Creed
Genre: Abstergo Industries, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Humor, M/M, Modern AU, Templar Boyband - Freeform, or so i guess, templar!Connor, why the hell no tag for Laetitia
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-10-12
Updated: 2014-10-12
Packaged: 2018-02-20 21:07:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,015
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2443187
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SebastianDragon/pseuds/SebastianDragon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Templar!Connor modern-day AU.</p><p>It was intended to be just a usual busy day inside Abstergo Industries before one small detail had gone wrong. And now there are mere hours parting Connor from the Grandmaster's fury - and perhaps the rest of the Inner Circle as well.</p>
            </blockquote>





	One Day inside Abstergo (or how the Inner Sanctum improves fuck-ups while Haytham Kenway is not watching)

**Author's Note:**

> All the thanks to dear luthelienberen! You are awesome and I'm honored to know you.
> 
> The character of Mieszko Gorski belongs to luthienberen. Mieszko is a Polish Templar and he is currently working in Abstergo in the US. He's the greatest marksman of theirs.
> 
> The character of Andrey Potemkin belongs to me (though his description belongs to luthienberen as well!:) ). He's Russian and in this universe - a helicopter pilot.  
> Him and Mieszko are best friends.
> 
> Actually they were planned for the Colonial Times by luthienberen but then I was granted a leave to use them in this AU:)
> 
> I hope you enjoy this and I apologise for all the mistakes in there already!

One day inside Abstergo (or how the Inner Circle improves fuck-ups while Haytham Kenway is not watching).

Ratonhnhake:ton strode into the main Abstergo Industries’ building in the early morning.

Grandmaster’s son or not, all levels of security had to be passed for him (even Haytham himself insisted on his case, clothes and gadgets to be checked before entering) and when he was announced no threat, the young man finally walked through the glass doors and found himself in the centre of people streams, everyone hurrying somewhere.

“Hey, Connor! Good morning!” a voice called. Connor nodded at the man behind the bar who was checking the newcomers in today.

“Good morning, Clipper. I see you’ve found yourself an entertaining business?” he chuckled, coming closer and giving the man his ID card.

Clipper chuckled back and waved him off.

“It’s temporary, you see? Our guys here also want a cup of coffee. I’ll be up to my work in fifteen minutes.”

“You better be,” Connor told him. “You don’t want Mr. Kenway or Mr. Lee to walk in on you here.”

At that Clipper Wilkinson visibly gulped and glanced at his watch nervously. Ratonhnhake:ton gave a short laugh and leaned on the bar.

“Don’t jump, my Dad will probably not come out even for lunch,” – _’although I intend to take him out of his lair today so that he will not as Thomas says “stiffen ‘is ol’ bones”,’_ \- “And Lee isn’t going to kill you for this, he’s more understanding cause he truly likes a cup or two in the morning himself.”

“Alright, I hope so,” Clipper gave Connor his ID back. “Have a nice day, brother.”

“You too,” Ratonhnhake:ton replied and all heartedly clapped Wilkinson on the shoulder. The man clapped him back and at that, they parted.

Connor reached the lifts when a female voice called him.

“Ratonhnhake:ton!”.

Not many people in Abstergo managed to pronounce his real name and from them there were only two women, so Connor saved himself the turning around, pressing instead the call button.

“Good morning, Mrs. England.”

Laetitia England gave a short laugh. When her heels clicked his way Connor finally turned not to seem rude to her.

“For how many times should I tell you that we all are a big family and you don’t need to call me by my last name?”.

Connor snorted. “For still one more, Mrs. England.”

She was twice as old as him, really, and if he could call men twice his age by their first names, it didn’t mean for him that he could show that kind of familiarity to women.

Laetitia nodded in what seemed appreciation.

“I understand that your parents have brought you up well, but this kind of gallantry makes me feel really old.”

Connor had never thought about that.

“Alright, Laetitia.”

She laughed once more. “Now that’s better.”

Connor hid his smile as the lift doors opened in front of them.

“It seems your Father never leaves his place, actually,” England said as they entered. “Sometimes I have a feeling that he permanently lives in his office.”

“You know… you’re not far from truth. He does have a back room in there and sometimes he stays up all night for me to try and tuck him into bed the next morning.”

Sometimes, huh. Should have said ‘everytimes’.

Laetitia gave him a side-glance as if she already knew the answer to her next question. And knowing Haytham for – how long? – she most certainly did.

“And… do you prevail?”

“Nope,” was Connor’s short answer. He thought for a second and then added. “But Charles does. Welll... sometimes. Seldom. Once in a month.”

***

“Morning, Connor.”

“Morning, Deborah. What’s up? You seem not at all pleased.”

The woman made a disappointed grimace and lifted up what Connor recognized as an Assassin Hidden Blade vambrace.

“See, you told them to make the blade how many inches long?” and she tossed him the vambrace.

Connor caught the thing, turned it in his hands and made nearly the same grimace.

“Seven – and yes, I can already see it’s nearly eight. Seems like every time should Julien take a day off to be with his family – his guys fuck up. I sincerely beg my pardon for my language, Deborah.”

The woman gave him a murdering glance. “Stop that, I’m not a lady. And you better come up with something about this shit, cause your Dad has already popped in with his everyday inspection and I've told him we’ll be ready with this at the end of the day.”

“Damn it,” Connor groaned. “And I thought I came in early.”

He turned the vambrace in his hands once more.

“I’ll call Julien, see what he is to say about this,” the young man decided. “Guess he might be able to cut it and then sharpen it again.”

“Ugh-huh,” Deborah’s tone dripped with sarcasm now, “it took the guys two days to sharpen it like that, do you think Julien is a wizard?”

“He used to say so while making fireworks with Hickey when I was a boy,” Connor grinned, showing his teeth. “So… who knows?”

***

“Meirde. Who in all my team did this wrong, cause I’m gonna shoot him meself,” Julien muttered under his breath while examining the vambrace.

“Can you improve this?” Connor asked.

“I can, but normally it would have taken from two to three days, cause, you know, to sharpen up a wavy blade is a far more challenging thing,” was the answer. Then Julien frowned and looking up at Connor and Deborah’s gloomy faces made the right guess. “I bet with my head that Haytham wants it ready today.”

“He does,” Connor nodded grimly. “And he’ll ground me for life if he doesn’t get it.”

Julien nodded in reply.

“Alright then, first and fast I need you to take the blade out of the mechanism. I haven’t got the slightest idea how many bloody details this thing consists of cause it’s the one and only weapon I am not working with. But I’m gonna call Woodes and John on it and I hope we will be able to create a miracle up to the end of the day.”

“Thanks,” Connor clapped him on the shoulder. “Go, I’ll bring it down to you in five minutes.”

“Right, and you better hurry.”

***

The black door to Connor’s lab slid open with an almost unaudible hiss. Connor didn’t bother turning, cause the particular sound of footsteps had instantly given William Johnson up – and even if they hadn’t, that door had the 5th level of security – the highest one in Abstergo Industries – so it’s not like many people could possibly just stride in.

Well, even if Johnson didn’t have access to the 5th level, with his hacking abilities he’d have probably gotten through anyway.

“I’ve heard you’re having problems here,” with that, William sat down onto the corner of Connor’s desk. “What kind of? John seemed quite irritated when I ran into him at the coffee machine in the main hall.”

“Yep,” Connor pushed his drafts aside and looked up at him. “Julien’s guys did the wrong length of the Hidden Blade and when Deborah put the pieces together this morning the tip stuck out so it would certainly pierce one’s wrist if the vambrace was stripped on. It’s not such a thing to improve, but my Dad wants it to be ready today.”

Johnson whistled understandably and tapped his fingers on the plastic surface of Connor’s table.

“And when did he say he’d come?”

Connor turned to Deborah. The woman tore her eyes from the computer screen. “9 PM.”

Johnson nodded thoughtfully.

“You know,” he said, “I’ll try to bring up some business to discuss with Haytham so that you can have more time for this. It’ll probably buy you an extra half an hour, but not more. Connor, there is no reason to tell you how fast your father works…”

At that Connor sighed heavily and shook his head no.

“If he said ‘9 PM’ it’ll be 9 PM and not a minute later.”

“I’ll say it’s urgent.” William paused and then with a wink directed at Connor added. “Alright, I’ll make a leak in the… Let it be the 3d level of security – so that as you can guess will lead to ‘endangering’ the higher levels.”

Deborah frowned uneasily and rose her head once more.

“Won’t Mr. Kenway guess it is your trick?”.

William shrugged and giving a short merry laugh winked again – now at Deborah: “I'll ask Thomas to blow something up and then we’ll have the only way to find out.”

***

Connor was so dragged into his work, he didn’t notice lunchtime came before Deborah nudged him in the side.

Almost a year had passed since he became an adult and started actually working in Abstergo – not just coming to visit his senior friends at work and learn from them. Thanks to Haytham and Charles, Ratonhnhake:ton was happy not only with his colleagues, but also with what he did.

And what he did was constructing new, superior versions of Hidden Blades. Taking in his son’s interest in weapons and particularly in blades, Haytham at first assigned him to Julien du Casse, because that man was the Head of those who worked with steel in Abstergo, the so-called Sharp Operations Department, while Pitcairn lead the Firearms one.

Connor came to know Julien when he first walked into the main Abstergo Industries’ building with his father at the age of thirteen and loved the high-spirited and humorous man at once. It was Julien, in fact, who came up to Haytham with the idea of promoting Connor to the Assassin Investigation Department and then for weeks continued jokingly grumbling that the Grandmaster had taken away his best employee.

Connor hadn’t let Julien down. The next three months after he had gotten his post his team created, constructed, proved good and working and released two new types of Hidden Blades: one with the blade fixed to the outer side of the vambrace (which allowed the owner to hold onto something or climb with the weapon ejected without the risk of piercing his wrist), second with a blade sliding out also from the opposite side (so that the owner could use both their wrist and their elbow as a deadly weapon when fighting enemies in front and behind them simultaneously). 

Haytham was proud, yes, and he especially loved the elbow-blade one, which haf proved itself most effective in their last operation. Before Connor had taken the post it was one type in a year and most times it proved itself as a not comfortable or even dangerous for its owner type. No one except for the Grandmaster before Connor had been particularly interested in learning the Templars' enemies' techniques by working with this weapon.

Now Ratonhnhake:ton and his team were busy with constructing a new one: a wavy blade, akin to German flamberges of the Medieval times, which created a far nastier wound than a normal one and lessened the chances of survival down to ten out of a hundred.

Of course all the ‘interesting work’ went along with loads and loads of papers, essays, researches and reports. The renewed Constructing team, which now consisted of himself, Deborah Carter, Duncan Little, Adeline de Granpre and a girl called Elise de la Serre who had just come back from her half a year commandment in Paris, was one in their hatred for the paperwork.

It seemed all the Inner Circle was joined by this. Charles suffered more than anyone being the Grandmaster's right hand man but had to endure stoically, William always smiled while saying he had enough assistants to do that for him, John always wore dark faces at the end of each month when he had to prepare reports on his Department’s progress, Benjamin seemed to be engulfed in papers every single minute of his life, working as the Head of the Medical Department – the one and only that showed its face to the real world. Thomas was more lucky with his black market: Haytham demanded only the accounts and lists of acquired items.

“Hey, Ratonhnhake:ton,” Deborah nudged him in the side again. “You gonna get some lunch? It’s three o’clock already.”

“Yeah, yeah, I will,” replied Connor with his eyes still boring into the monitor. “Don’t wait for me, I want to finish this report.”

***

The Dining Hall, as it was called between the employees, was full of people and Ratonhnhake:ton had to spend nearly five minutes trying to find a free place to land himself onto. When at last he spotted Deborah and Clipper waving their hands at him, he only managed to come up to them and sit down, when a familiar voice sounded behind him.

“Bon appetite, mon ami,” Julien du Casse placed his bowl of soup on the table next to Connor’s and seated himself at his side. “Je’peur…”

Connor struggled with his wish to shove a piece of bread into Julien’s mouth to shut him up.

“Stop speaking French, will you?” he interrupted. “You know I haven’t started learning it yet.”

“All the reason to start already, mon ami,” Julien smiled. “But alright, I will not annoy you any further. What I was trying to say is that I’m afraid that we do need more time – an hour at least if not more.”

“William came in an hour after you left this morning,” Deborah said. “He told us he could hold Haytham for half an hour by some tricks of his but not more.”

“And… would anyone bother to tell me what the hell is going on?” asked Clipper.

While Deborah quickly explained the situation, Julien waved his hand to someone in the crowd, calling him to come over.

It was Woodes – the man little Connor was extremely afraid of because of the terrifying scar on the left side of his face but the one he highly respected nowadays.

“Right, and to what I owe a call to such a gathering?” Woodes smiled with the uninjured side of his mouth and directed his glance at Julien. “What happened, mon ami?”

The 'mon ami' part sounded with the usual mockery but today instead of a sharp retort Julien payed absolutely no attention to it. “Well, Connor’s got a problem. And I’ve got a problem. Cause Connor's problem, once revealed by our highly respected Grandmaster, will eventually turn into my problem."

Connor shifted, moving so that he was now seating on the closer to the table half of the bench. Woodes sighed, his face clearly showing the "they are pulling me into a mess. Again", but nodded and seated himself on the other half of the bench, back to back with the Grandmaster's son, and prepared to listen.

Goddamn it, they already were in a mess.

***

It was 8:40 pm and Connor was on the edge of his seat.

Now the idea of trying to trick Haytham into spending more time with each of his seneshals or operatives or Department leaders on his evening checking route seemed not so bright.

Actually, now it seemed quite dumb.

Because Haytham will ground Connor for not being ready with his project in time most surely, but he will be furious with his son for trying to trick him if he ever finds out.

And not only with his son but with all the Inner Circle.

As Connor and Deborah knew for now, William contacted Thomas for making a piece of the conditioning system explode at 8:45 so that the alarm syrens will turn on automatically and they will need half an hour to put everything in place. Then Laetitia England will "accidentally" run into Haytham and have a five-minute talk with him about the new Entertainment project. After that Haytham will continue his everyday route until Woodes will call him from his office to say that their best operative Shay Patrick Cormac has an immediate need for his advice.

Connor could only imagine how Woodes managed to drag Shay into this. Shay, who was on a mission in Europe! A non-operative type, thank God, - a business one, but still. Connor was very grateful, yet this was a little too much from his point of view.

Woodes and Shay will be able to hold the Grandmaster for another ten minutes. Then Benjamin's time will come.

Church said that he had actually planned on talking with the Grandmaster tonight on the topic of the sellings of their new memory-improving medicine and the next stage of creating their perhaps future savior from cancer, so his talk with Haytham should be serious indeed.

Another hour or so. During their talk Jonathan Pitcairn will call Haytham and ask if he could come to his lab after he finishes his immeadiate work, because his crew has smth to show him.

That should be enough for Julien to finish the blade, travel up ten floors, sneak into Connor's and for Connor to put the blade into the mechanism back again.

Haytham will probably continue to Connor's lab first not going to John, but both John and Connor sincerely hoped that the Grandmaster will respect the plea of his second seneshal.

John indeed had some new type of a sniper rifle to present to Haytham. As far as Connor knew, the best of John's team had been working on it for half a year, including John himself, Ben Hornigold, Abstergo's best marksman Mieszko Gorski and Clipper. Mieszko's best friend, Andrey Potemkin, was also ready to help - being one of Abstergo's most skillful helicopter pilots, he too had some stuff to discuss with the Grandmaster. So Haytham, if he comes, may spend another extra hour in there.

And if even this time proves not enough, than Charles (who as Haytham's right hand always walked by Haytham's side during his evening inspections) promised Connor to use all the might of his silver tongue to buy them as much time as he will be able to.

Oh dear Father of Understanding, let all of this work.

**Author's Note:**

> Truth to be told, this is a spoiler for "Tomorrow will take it away", cause this actually occurs after Tomorrow's events (there's a little hint for that in the text as well). So I'm sorry! *hands up*
> 
> Please, be honest with what you think about it!


End file.
